Every successful Rangers team has had a core of Scottish players, and Philippe Clement’s club may have a more local flavour next season.
Lyall Cameron has already been signed, and if Patrick Stewart’s new recruitment strategy includes Nils Koppen, he will not be the last SPFL local to join the squad.
The highest-profile player to be linked is Lennon Miller, whom the Rangers manager would have to spend a significant portion of his transfer budget to sign, given the latest news on the teenage sensation.
Motherwell rejected a record bid for Lennon Miller.
According to The Sun, Motherwell rejected a record proposal from Union Saint Gilloise for the Scotland Under-21 international as the transfer deadline approached.
The Fir Park outfit’s current record selling is David Turnbull to Celtic for £3.25 million.
An earlier £2.5 million bid from a Serie A team had already been rejected, according to the source, with Motherwell valuing their key asset at £4.5 million.
A cost comparable to the £4.3 million paid to sign Mohamed Diomande, with no certainty that he would adapt into the particular world of Scottish football.
Rangers new ‘identity’ will not come cheap for the new CEO.
Speaking shortly after his arrival, CEO Stewart emphasized the necessity of Rangers nurturing their own talent as well as signing the best of the rest:
“The second category is talented Scottish players, and we want a talented group of young Scottish players, not just young players who will form the core of the squad,” stated the former Manchester United CEO of the new strategy.
“And again, two good examples are John Souttar and Connor Barron, who are good examples of developing that Scottish core. And having that is really important for the football club’s identity.
“Also, I believe that supporters will demand a squad that reflects their identity and values, which means that we will need homegrown players.
“Also, your UEFA has regulations or a number of homegrown players so we would need to do this anyway but it’s more than just about ticking our compliance boxes, it’s about creating a real identity and a core within the dressing room.”
If Rangers truly want the best Scottish talent that money can buy, it will not come cheap.
